Self-Compassion, Forgiveness and Flourishing Among Older Adults

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to analyse differences in self-compassion, forgiveness, and flourishing among three age groups of older adults, as well as the relationship between them. A sample of 100 older adults categorized into young-old (n = 49), middle-old (n = 37), and oldest-old (n = 14) were selected for the study through purposive sampling. A quantitative research design was employed utilizing Self-Compassion Scale, Heartland Forgiveness Scale and Flourishing Scale. Kruskal-wallis test was used to determine significant difference in self-compassion, forgiveness, and flourishing among older adults based on age and spearman correlation was used to determine relationship among three variables. Mann-Whitney U test was used for post hoc pairwise comparison. The findings revealed that self-compassion has significant differences across these groups while forgiveness and flourishing doesn’t have statistically significant differences. And also, there is a moderate positive relationship between the variables indicating that individuals with higher self-compassion exhibited flourishing and a stronger capacity for forgiveness. The findings have implications for mental health interventions, emphasizing the need for age-specific approaches to enhance well-being and promote positive aging.